1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image taking system such as a digital still camera, and more particularly to an image taking system where an angle of view is automatically adjusted.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been put into practice an image taking system such as a digital camera and a digital video camera having a self-timer function which actually takes an image of an object predetermined times after depression of a shutter release button or a remote control photographing function which takes an image of an object under remote control. In taking an image with such an image taking system, for instance, when the photographer himself or herself makes an object to be taken, the photographer himself or herself goes into the photographic field of the image taking system after setting the photographic field with a liquid crystal monitor or a finder, and accordingly, the photographer himself or herself cannot know whether he or she is in the angle of coverage upon taking the image, whereby the photographer himself or herself sometimes is not in the image. This is apt to take place especially when a gathering picture is to be taken and the photographer himself or herself should be in an end of the taken image.
Thus, there has been proposed to determine whether the object person is in the angle of coverage upon taking the image, by the use of a camera which projects light onto the range corresponding to the angle of coverage (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5 (1993)-053186, a camera provided on the front face thereof with a member which opens by an angle corresponding to the angle of coverage (U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,947) so that the member can be viewed from the object, a camera which is provided with a multi-point distance measuring function and displays the result of distance measurement on a plurality of distance measuring points (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-131120), and the like.
However, in the cameras disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5(1993)-053186 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,947), it is difficult to determine whether the parts of the object person other than the eyes are in the photographic field since the object person visually checks the light projected or a member and since it is difficult for the object person to always arcuately visually check them due to fluctuation by the affect of the external light or the individual difference, there is a fear that it is slightly difficult to surely take the object person in the photographic field.
Further, in the camera disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-131120, though it can be confirmed that some matters go into the distance measuring points, it is difficult to determine whether the object person is in the photographic field, further when there are a plurality of object persons as in a gathering picture, it is difficult to determine whether all the object persons are in the photographic field, and accordingly there is a fear that it is slightly difficult to surely take the object persons in the photographic field as in the cameras described above.